Becky's View: After The End by Amy Plum

After The End by Amy Plum
♦publisher: HarperTeen
♦release date: May 6th, 2014
♦hardcover, 336 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: After the End, book 1
♦source: from publisher for honest review

"I have no idea what is truth and what is fiction. I'm all I've got now. I can't trust anyone."

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

Review:  After the End is the start of another promising series from Amy Plum.  I honestly wasn't sure going into this one---I've lately started to cool on dystopians a bit, but to my wonderful surprise, this turned out not to be a dystopian at all!! Most of the story takes place in modern west coast America, so frankly this reads like a contemporary adventure with a touch of earthly magic thrown.  This turned out to be a story that I simply couldn't put down.  

I've seen many people liken this to the movie "The Village" (which I actually liked,...so sue me lol) but beyond the very basic idea of a group of adults who start a commune and pretend like the outside world doesn't exist, the similarity pretty much ends there. When Juneau returns from a hunt to find her village ravaged and her clan missing, she doesn’t hesitate to strike out on a quest to rescue them. Following clues given to her by a magical connection to the earth called the Yara, she’s led to a place that she’s been told her whole life no longer existed: the modern world. Having been taught that everything was destoryed by a third World War, Juneau is shocked to discover the truth: there was no WWIII and her whole life is built on a lie.  Her strength and determination is clear by the way she takes this all in, but still forges on, knowing she can't let this shock derail her mission to find her family.  Even knowing her father lied to her, she tells herself she can deal with that once she knows he is safe. 

The story is told is alternating viewpoints between Juneau and Miles, a boy whose father is after Juneau for reasons he doesn't quite understand.  He’s desperate to be back in his father’s good graces and thinks finding Juneau will do just that. He and Juneau have a hard time seeing eye-to-eye; she’s wary of trusting him and he suspects she’s insane. There are times when I thought he was just being an ass, but then to look at it realistically, he was just having a hard time buying Juneau's story and her odd ways---it's likely the way most people in the modern world would react to a person who claims to be magical and says she was raised in what sounded very much like a cult to him.  Still, they manage to be curious enough about each other to eventually form a bond.  It made for a story that's not centered around a romance, which was fine by me in this case, as I really liked the way their relationship progressed.  The action and adventure of the plot stayed in center stage, which is what kept me turning page after page.  I also really enjoyed the nature magic the author created and how Juneau grew to believe more in herself than all the talismans and trinkets she was taught to depend on.

I definitely intend on picking up book 2; my investment in these characters demands it after that ending! The ending leaves you dangling in the worst possible way---still exciting and heart-stopping, but an utterly torturous cliffhanger.  But even with that, this thrilling story of earthly magic, determination, and a girl rediscovering the world is truly engaging. 

Find Amy Plum online: Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

Purchase After The End:  Amazon  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound

 

Cover Story

Hi, everyone!  I know I've sort of fallen off the edge of the blogging world this past week! Sorry about that!  My life's been taken over by a few fun (book trade show!) and not-so-fun (medical yuckiness) events, but I think I can safely say I'm back for now!  It may be a little slow around here for October but no more week-long disappearances, I don't think!

Anyhow---a few covers that I have been eagerly awaiting to see hit the web these last few days!! Thought I'd share in case you hadn't seen them already!

After the End 

by Amy Plum

Harper Teen, May 6, 2014

Hollow City
by Ransom Riggs
Quirk Books, January 14, 2014

Starbreak 

by Phoebe North

Simon & Schuster, July 15, 2014

Amy's View: If I Should Die by Amy Plum

If I Should Die by Amy Plum
♦publisher: HarperTeen
♦release date: May 7th, 2013
♦hardcover, 405 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Revenants, book 3
  reviews of Die for Me & Until I Die
♦source: ALA

I will not lose another person I love. I will not let history repeat itself.

Vincent waited lifetimes to find me, but in an instant our future together was shattered. He was betrayed by someone we both called a friend, and I lost him. Now our enemy is determined to rule over France’s immortals, and willing to wage a war to get what they want.

It shouldn’t be possible, none of it should be, but this is my reality. I know Vincent is somewhere out there, I know he’s not completely gone, and I will do anything to save him.

After what we’ve already fought to achieve, a life without Vincent is unimaginable. He once swore to avoid dying—to go against his nature and forsake sacrificing himself for others—so that we could be together. How can I not risk everything to bring my love back to me?

Review:  Amy Plum doesn’t disappoint in this heart stopping conclusion of the Revenants series. 

I love how this book picks up exactly where the last book left off. No lapse in time, no momentary pause, just the space of a heart beat and a breath. After Until I Die, Kate is left with the pieces of a shattered heart, holding on to every ounce of hope one can have, basing her life on the whispering of two words she believes she heard,“ mon- ange.”Not only Vincent’s secret name for Kate but the sign that means all is not destroyed. Resulting in more questions than there are answers. 

This series endures on with the ultimate battle of good and evil, in revenant proportions. A story of sacrifice and strength, including fortitude of character, along with what one person is willing to sacrifice to bring back their one true love.

In this epic conclusion, the time has come for the numa and the barida to battle it out in legendary proportions. While a new light shines bright like a beacon, the destiny of Kate and Vincent is finally revealed. With echoes of love and loss resonating throughout, their heart’s desires leads to a path of healing and bloodshed. Friends will live and friends will die, some will even betray their own, as all gets revealed. New definition of heroes and villains are defined.

Amy Plum paints an alluring and realistic description of a picturesque Paris, making the streets come alive. The story takes you on a historical tour of French art history and language as well as keeping it all beautifully tied into the storyline.

The heart stopping conclusion doesn’t disappoint and even left me with a tear as I closed the book to a series I adored. It is hard to say farewell.

Find Amy Plum online: Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

Purchase If I Should Die:  Amazon  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound

Guest Review: Until I Die by Amy Plum

Until I Die by Amy Plum

publisher: HarperTeen

release date: May 8th, 2012

hardcover, 357 pages

intended audience: Young adult

series: Revenants, book 2
(Becky's review of Die for Me)

rating:


source: From publisher for honest review
review: Amy

Spoiler Alert! Description and review may contain slight spoilers for book 1 in the series, Die For Me. If you haven't read it yet, Stop Here! :D

description: Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.

Review:

I don't know what it is specifically that drew me in to this series, but I am totally captivated by this book. Once again Amy Plum doesn't disappoint with her second book in what I am sure is a trilogy or more. I will say however she does leave you hanging waiting for the next book. Until I Die picks up right where Die For Me ended so seamlessly that I had to actually check the books to see where one ended and the other began to write this review.

Taking place on the streets of Paris I found myself whisked away to another country surrounded by old world meets the city of romance and that is exactly what Kate finds... love. And not just a love of a lifetime but the love of many lifetimes since that is all that a revenant can offer.

I love the idea behind Revenants and how wonderfully they define their lives and who they are. Not a vampire, but an immortal equal. It just leaves me questioning how Kate really will fall into the Revenants and their life path. This book helps define the parameters of Kate and Vincent's relationship and also that of the revenants; what they do and the choices that they must make to stay alive as well as that of their enemies ,which takes this book on more of a gripping adventure than that of just a Paris love story. I like that we get to see a lot of Kate's sister, Georgia, getting her involved in a lot of the mystery and adventure. It's a relief that this is not once again a story of girl meets boy, boy has a secret identity, girl drops everyone she knows and who she is to be with a boy. Kate still finds a way to stand strong alongside the revenants and even finds a way to help which is a fun turn on tradition as well.

Without giving any of this marvelous book away I will say this is one of my new favorite series. I was fortunate enough to read the two books back to back but the unfortunate part is I am left mourning the fact that I have to wait for the next book. Whether you loved the beautiful setting of Anna and the French Kiss or a love that spans eternity like Twilight, this series is defiantly a must read!

Visit Amy Plum's site: http://www.amyplumbooks.com

Purchase Until I Die at: Amazon • BN.com • Book Depository • Indiebound

Waiting on Wednesday - The Pretty Swirly Edition

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for. For my WoWs, I'll be choosing a Sooner (books released in the next month or so) and a Later (books further out). Here's what I'm eagerly anticipating:

Sooner:

Unraveling Isobel
by Eileen Cook

hitting shelves on January 3rd, 2012 from Simon Pulse

description:
Isobel’s life is falling apart. Her mom just married some guy she met on the internet only three months before, and is moving them to his sprawling, gothic mansion off the coast of nowhere. Goodbye, best friend. Goodbye, social life. Hello, icky new stepfather, crunchy granola town, and unbelievably good-looking, officially off-limits stepbrother.

But on her first night in her new home, Isobel starts to fear that it isn’t only her life that’s unraveling—her sanity might be giving way too. Because either Isobel is losing her mind, just like her artist father did before her, or she’s seeing ghosts.

Either way, Isobel’s fast on her way to being the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons.

My thoughts: From the cover, I never would have thought this book had anything to do with creepy gothic mansions and ghosts, ---it definitely looks like a contemp YA! I can't wait to see how this one turns out!


Later:
Until I Die
by Amy Plum

hitting shelves May 8th, 2012 from HarperTeen

description:
Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.

In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed Die For Me and can't to see where this series is headed next! I need more Kate, more Vincent, and more Paris! :D

Review: Die For Me

Die for Me by Amy Plum

publisher: HarperTeen

release date: May 10, 2011

hardcover, 341 pages

intended audience: Young adult

rating:





source: through Netgalley for honest review

description: My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

Review: I'm not a fan of the zombie trend going on right now in YA fiction. I'm the first to admit that as soon as I hear the word zombie, I will more than likely skip along to the next selection. Luckily, going into this book, I had no idea what the paranormal aspect was. Even more luckily, these were zombies like you've never imagined them before. :) As a matter of fact, even though they are referred to as such in the story, I wouldn't even consider them the same fantastical creature. No rotting flesh, no brain-feasting. Amy Plum has expertly created a whole new undead and reanimated being. These were zombies that even I could fall for.

Really enjoyed the character development. When we first meet Kate, she has been uprooted and moved to Paris with her sister, Georgia. After the death of their parents, she is pretty much drowning in grief, hesitant to rejoin the world just yet, while her sister deals with their loss in the opposite way---going out to party every night. It was interesting seeing Kate come out of her shell and, eventually, seeing Georgia learn some hard lessons. Then there is Vincent. It's not so much Vincent's supposed perfect looks that caught my attention---after all there is an overabundance of "beautiful, god-like, flawless" looking guys running rampant in YA novels. It was what he and his family did, the purpose of the Revenants. I won't spoil it, you need to read it to find out,...but their actions and reason for doing them is the thing that won me over. I also loved Charlotte, one of Vincent's "sisters". She is funny and sweet and a good friend to Kate.

This is a romantic story, and what made it even more so was being set against the fabulous backdrop of Paris. It played out like a breathtaking sightseeing tour, then made it even more beautiful and personal by the memories it sparked in Kate. We visit every corner, from the museums to the Seine, from the eerie catacombs to the Eiffel. Even the seedier dark corners of Paris play their parts.

Also worth a mention is the fact that, while we know this book is the first in a series, this book could have stood alone and been perfect. In a genre that is known for it's cliffhanger endings, Die For Me's ending was a breath of fresh air. Sure, now that I love the characters, I want more of them---but I don't feel like my satisfaction with the story relies on the sequel. It feels complete just on it's own and I love that.

While some points of this stories felt achingly familiar to other stories we've almost all read before, the imaginative and truly unique paranormal aspect of it, the amazing romance, and several intriguing twists and turns made this a story I easily fell in love with.

Visit Amy Plum's website here.

Purchase Die For Me at: Amazon • BN.com • BookDepository • Indiebound

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